'Jonny Football': Zimmerly is Daily Record Football POTY

Zimmerly fuels Norwayne drive for title repeat

CRESTON -- Since American football started being played at colleges in the 1800s, and debuted in Wayne County late in the 19th century with The College of Wooster and Wooster High fielding teams, rules and styles of play have changed dramatically.

However, the main objective of the game has remained the same: push the ball across the end zone when you're on offense and stop the other team from doing that when on defense.

Statistically speaking, no prep player in area history has ever done a better job for his team of getting the ball into the end zone than Norwayne senior running back Jon Zimmerly.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder has 35 touchdowns good for 210 points this season, giving him two all-time area records as Norwayne (13-0) prepares to take on St. Clairsville (13-0) in a Div. IV state semifinal at Massillon's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium tonight.

As impressive as those statistics are, simply calling Zimmerly "Mr. Touchdown" would be doing him a disservice.

Zimmerly has also rushed for a school record 2,074 yards and counting and is a returning first-team All-Ohio defensive end with 75 tackles, including team-highs in tackles for losses (21) and sacks (10).

Yet, even those numbers don't tell the entire story of Zimmerly's impact for defending state champion Norwayne, which has won 19 straight games and 27 of 28 the last two years.

Add in what Zimmerly means as a leader on and off the field and the picture is complete why he is "Jonny Football" at Norwayne and The 2012 Daily Record Football Player of the Year.

Norwayne coach Joe Harbour said Zimmerly is the complete package of what a coach hopes for in a student-athlete.

"Jon's a total player 24-7-365," Harbour said. "He's a leader in the weight room in the offseason, he's a leader in our intense summer training program, he's a leader in the classroom.

"He does a great job preparing himself, but he also holds his teammates accountable. He does a great job making sure that no one cuts corners. He's been a program-builder, we're not where we're at without kids like Jon. He's a very deserving kid of that award and his work has paid off."

Zimmerly has taken a classic path to DR POTY:

n As a sophomore he was a solid contributor on a 9-3 playoff team, rushing for 505 yards and three TDs and standing out on defense;

n As a junior he became an All-Ohioan with 77 tackles, while adding 1,105 yards rushing and 15 TDs, yet deferring leadership to seniors such as 2011 DR POTY Adam Wallace and older brother Tyler;

n As a senior he has taken the leadership torch and literally ran with it during a record-setting year.

"That's phenomenal, I'm pumped," said Zimmerly when informed of winning the award. "I've kind of been dreaming about it this year. It's what I was striving for as an individual goal."

"This season has been awesome so far," Zimmerly continued. "I really wanted to come out and make a statement this year.

"People kind of had doubts because we lost Adam and the rest of that great senior class, so I think for me as an individual and as a team we have really made a statement."

The son of Doug and Andrea Zimmerly, Jon thanked many people for contributing to his success.

"It's been a big group effort to drive me," he said. "My dad has played a big role in that and so did my brother, Tyler (class of 2012), and my coaches have always really pushed me. I'd like to thank them for that. I'd like to thank my teammates, too, and the entire community for all the support they've showed us."

Jon actually broke the records set by his dad, who's also the Norwayne principal, for yards rushing in a game and season.

Jon rushed for an all-time area record 348 yards against Hillsdale in Week 9. His 2,074 yards rushing on 224 attempts (9.3 average) have him in striking distance of the area record of 2,435 set by Smithville's Aaron Long in 2004.

Zimmerly's numbers are even more impressive when considering that because of Norwayne's huge average scoring margin (52-9) he's rarely carried the ball in the final 1 1/2 quarters of games.

He's also gladly been part of a balanced offensive attack that's seen quarterback Joe Dreher set an area record for passing (3,611 yards) and Brady Berger establish a new receiving mark (1,342 yards) to lead a group of five wide receivers with five or more TD catches.

Zimmerly and the rest of the Bobcat skilled players quickly share a lot of the credit with the offensive line of tackles Caleb Barb and Zack Weinman, guards Cody and Chris Scruggs and center Zach Croftcheck.

"I'm really happy with where we're at right now," Zimmerly said. "Hopefully we finish it with a state title and get another ring on the finger.

"The only thing I would like to change is if I could play in the second half of these last two games," added Zimmerly, who's been dealing with hamstring cramps, "but it's been great and playing with these guys is amazing."

Zimmerly, who ranks sixth in his class with a 4.98 GPA, has received considerable interest from Div. III colleges and Div. II Seton Hill (Pa.). He's also had some contact with several Ivy League schools, but is unsure of where he'll play college football.

"I've received lots of emails from Ivy League schools because of my grades," he said. "If I can go there that would be awesome, but we'll have to see what happens."

Based on Zimmerly's success this season, he said he now favors offense over defense if he had to pick one.

Harbour said Zimmerly could probably play just about any position on offense or defense well because of his athletic ability, work ethic and smarts.

"He's just a great football player," Harbour said.

Norwayne's Jonny football is a player who no doubt would have been just as successful when the game was in its infancy, but has taken it to new levels of excellence in 2012.

Aaron Dorksen can be reached at 330-287-1621 or adorksen@the-daily-record.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adorksenTDR.